


come around and talk it over

by marcel



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Babysitting, Dads!suchen, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rahee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 08:18:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10532529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcel/pseuds/marcel
Summary: Chanyeol tags along to Jongin's babysitting gig and ends up discovering that his feelings for his best friend are a little more than... friendly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> here's a disclaimer: i've never hung out w a 3 yr old in my life and i dont have a babysitting license
> 
> based on [this tweet](https://twitter.com/chankaiprompts/status/639686556400291841). this was a WIP for literally a year and a half why do i do this to myself. ANYWAY HAPPY 2 months ago BIRTHDAY KAREN.... I LOVE U BYE  
> special thanks @ nelly for holding my hand for like 2 straight months while i tried to get this done and also @ marissa & kaye for finding all my typos...... i lov yall

Jongin's tinny _Beat It_ ringtone is jarring at the best of times, and only made worse when it's rousing Chanyeol from deep sleep and paired with the late morning sun shining directly into his face.

He sits up and rubs his eyes while Jongin, next to him, fumbles around for his phone. They both fell asleep on opposite sides of the couch, it seems. Chanyeol isn’t really surprised - they had been on a serious mission last night, fighting off a whole army to hold down the castle in the Elven kingdom. There’s even an Xbox controller digging into his thigh, as if to remind him.

Chanyeol tosses it on the coffee table and looks over at Jongin, who hasn’t even opened his eyes yet but has still managed to find his phone and answer the call.

“Hello,” he mumbles, barely getting both syllables out.

Chanyeol holds back a snicker. He’s been through enough sleep-overs to know that Jongin won’t be fully awake and operational for another couple hours at least. As it is, a full minute passes with faint chatter filtering through the phone pressed to Jongin’s ear, and Jongin doesn’t do much more than furrow his brow, eyes still closed.

“What’s up?” Chanyeol asks.

Jongin yawns and flops over sideways, leaning on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “Talk to Chanyeol,” he tells the phone, and holds it out to him.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes but takes the phone and holds it to his ear. “Hi, sorry about that.”

“I should’ve known not to call before noon,” Jongdae sighs from the other end. “Don’t tell me he handed the phone off and went back to sleep.”

Chanyeol glances down at Jongin, and sure enough, he’s dozing off again. “He’s… in the process of waking up.”

“Such a joy it is, having siblings,” Jongdae laments. “Alright, when his eyes are open, can you tell him I need a favour?”

“Sure,” Chanyeol says around a yawn. “What is it?”

“Well, Junmyeon and I are flying to this business conference and staying overnight, but our sitter had an emergency and had to cancel, so--”

“What sitter?” Chanyeol asks, careful not to jostle Jongin as he sits up a little straighter.

“Babysitter, obviously,” Jongdae says with a laugh. “Anyway, our flight leaves in a couple hours, so can you tell Jongin to get over here as soon as he can? Just tell him it’s about Rahee.”

Chanyeol frowns. “Who--”

“I gotta go,” Jongdae cuts him off. “Thanks in advance, bye!”

He hangs up, leaving Chanyeol to stare at the phone for a long moment with a vague sense of foreboding. Jongin mumbles against his shoulder before sitting up to rub his eyes, then blinks sleepily at his phone in Chanyeol’s hand. “What did Jongdae want?”

True to his brother’s words, one mention of Rahee gets Jongin off the couch and into the shower with no complaints or yawns. Chanyeol doesn’t really know what’s going on, but it must be something good if Jongin is so jazzed about it. He flits around looking for his shoes, keys and toothbrush all at once, and Chanyeol has to force a piece of toast into Jongin’s hands to get him to slow down. Jongin munches on it with a smile on his face, and absolutely beams when Chanyeol offers to drive him to Jongdae and Junmyeon’s apartment. It’s not exactly on his way home - more out of the way than not, if he’s honest - but it’s gotten hard for Chanyeol to do anything other than what makes Jongin smile widest.

When they pull up outside the building, Jongin gets halfway out of the car before realizing that Chanyeol isn’t following, and leans back in to give him a confused look. “Hey, aren’t you coming?”

Chanyeol blinks at him. “Uh. Am I?”

“Oh, I guess I assumed...” Jongin trails off, looking a little sheepish. “Sorry. It’s okay if you have other plans.”

Chanyeol thinks about it. He has a half-finished due-on-Monday project waiting for him at home, which he’d already been pulled away from once when Jongin called last night and asked if Chanyeol would help him beat that co-op mission. He should really get it done earlier rather than later, but…

“Nothing I can’t put off a little longer,” Chanyeol says with a shrug, and unclips his seatbelt.

Jongin grins the whole way from the entrance to the elevator to the apartment door, and practically shoves his way inside without knocking. "We're here!" he announces, and takes off down the hallway before Chanyeol can stop him.

Jongdae appears in the kitchen with a suitcase in tow, looking relieved. "Hey, sorry we're literally halfway out the door. There's emergency numbers on the counter and chicken strips in the freezer."

"Thank you so much for doing this," Junmyeon says, following behind him. "Especially on such short notice. I'll make sure we pay you back somehow."

"It's, uh," Chanyeol falters, standing awkwardly off to the side while the couple slip their coats on. "It's fine?"

“We’re going now, Rahee,” Junmyeon calls, opening the door. Chanyeol looks over his shoulder just in time to see Jongin reappear, smiling wide and carrying a little girl in his arms.

“Bye Appa, bye Dada,” she says, waving her tiny hands at them. Junmyeon and Jongdae both grin and wave back.

“See you tomorrow, sweetheart,” Jongdae says, blowing her a kiss, and then they’re out the door and the apartment is quiet. It’s just Chanyeol and Jongin and this… small child.

She seems to finally notice Chanyeol right then, and squints at him. “Who’s that?” she whispers loudly to Jongin.

“That’s Chanyeol,” Jongin says, stepping over to him. “He’s my friend.”

The girl frowns a little, leaning over Jongin’s arm to look all the way down at Chanyeol’s feet, then all the way back up to his face. “He’s _tall_.”

“He is,” Jongin laughs, and Chanyeol feels himself smiling too. “Can you introduce yourself?”

She gives Chanyeol a shy grin. "I'm Rahee."

“Nice to meet you,” Chanyeol says, melting a little.

Rahee turns back to frown at Jongin again. “Is he gonna sleep over too?” she asks.

“Um, well…” Jongin trails off, looking at Chanyeol with his eyebrows raised.

Chanyeol thinks once more of his homework, not getting any closer to being finished the longer he stays, and glances at Rahee, looking remarkably similar to Jongin as she blinks at him curiously.

… He’s done harder projects in less time, after all. “As long as it’s okay with you,” he tells her.

Rahee hums, giving him another once-over as she considers it. “I guess so,” she says eventually, and wiggles in Jongin’s arms until he sets her down on the floor.

She runs off down the hall and Jongin turns to Chanyeol with a sheepish smile. "So, babysitting?"

"Babysitting," Chanyeol agrees. "Not really how I thought my Saturday would go, but I can make do."

Jongin laughs. "Sorry for springing this on you," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I usually watch her by myself, but--"

"It's fine," Chanyeol assures him, reaching out to touch his hand. "Really, no problem. I'm happy you trust me enough to let me tag along for something like this."

Jongin looks surprised for a moment before smiling again, squeezing Chanyeol's fingers. "Of course I do."

Rahee comes marching back into the kitchen then, armed with a stack of paper and a box of crayons. She stands on tip-toe to place both on the table before clambering into a chair and sitting up on her knees to drag the paper closer to her.

"You're gonna draw pictures?" Jongin asks, slipping his hand out of Chanyeol's to peek over her shoulder. Rahee just nods, already digging through the crayons. Jongin beckons to Chanyeol, leading him out to the living room. "She's pretty good at playing by herself," he says. "We'll do something together later."

They sit down on opposite ends of the couch, not unlike how they woke up that morning. Chanyeol lets out a long breath. "So, she's your… niece?"

Jongin nods. "Junmyeon and Jongdae adopted her when she was only a few months old. Mom is really happy to have a grandkid," he adds with a snicker. "She's all anyone talks about at family get-togethers now."

"I feel bad for not knowing you were an uncle," Chanyeol admits, a little sheepish.

Jongin raises his eyebrows. "Really? I thought for sure I'd mentioned her before."

"Not that I remember." Chanyeol looks over to where Rahee is scribbling merrily. "How old is she?"

"Turning four this year," Jongin says, following his gaze with a grin. "I can't believe how fast she's growing. It feels like she was just a baby not that long ago."

Chanyeol hums. "You must see a lot of her, if you're Jongdae's go-to babysitter."

"I guess I am," Jongin snickers. "I came over a lot when they first brought her home, just to be an extra pair of hands when Jongdae or Junmyeon had to go to work. They don't need as much help now, but I come when I can just to give them a break."

"They must be grateful," Chanyeol laughs. 

"I am too," Jongin admits. "I'm happy I get to spend so much time with her. I'm really lucky." Chanyeol watches him as he looks over at Rahee again, and feels something warm swell in his chest at the loving look on his face.

Before he can think of anything else to say, Rahee pushes her chair out and marches over to them, holding out a handful of crayons. "Help me pick," she says, pouting cutely. "I need a colour."

"Well, what are you drawing?" Jongin asks, sliding off the couch to kneel beside her.

"Dogs," Rahee tells him, carefully considering her array of crayons. "I already did a blue dog and a green dog."

Jongin hums, taking it very seriously. "You could draw one of grandma's dogs," he suggests. "Monggu and Jjangu are brown, or orange."

Rahee considers it, then looks up at Chanyeol. "What colour is your dog?"

"I don't have a dog," Chanyeol says, wincing when Rahee frowns at him. "But, uh, my mom does. A black poodle named Toben."

Rahee looks back at her crayons. "No black. Is he okay being purple?"

"I'm sure Toben is fine with it," Jongin laughs, but Rahee looks expectantly at Chanyeol, waiting for his answer.

"Nothing wrong with purple dogs," he says cautiously. Rahee beams at him before hurrying back to the table, and Chanyeol breathes a sigh of relief.

Jongin snickers as he sits back down beside him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Chanyeol assures him, wiping pretend-sweat from his brow. "That was like the fastest, most stressful job interview I've ever done."

"Toddler opinions are pretty important," Jongin says with a nod, "but I knew she would like you."

Chanyeol opens his mouth to respond, but Rahee bounds back over, clambering up onto the middle seat between them with a sheet of paper clutched in her hands. "Finished!"

"Yeah? Let's see," Jongin urges, leaning closer. Rahee holds the paper out in front of her so they can both see the dog she's drawn, bright purple stick legs and all.

"That's awesome," Chanyeol says, meaning it wholeheartedly. It's certainly better than anything he could draw at three-and-a-half.

Rahee smiles up at him before holding the drawing out to him. "It's for you."

Chanyeol gapes, taking it from her hesitantly. "For me? Are you sure? It's your drawing."

"I can draw more dogs," Rahee says, looking proud of herself.

Over her head, Jongin gives Chanyeol an encouraging smile, so he carefully folds the paper in half and gives Rahee a grin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rahee sing-songs, then turns to Jongin. "Can we go to the park?"

"Sure, if you want," Jongin says with a nod, ushering her off the couch. "You should clean up your crayons first though, okay?"

Rahee scampers off to do just that, and Jongin stands up from the couch to stretch before turning back to Chanyeol. "You down for a walk? The park isn't far."

"Yeah, sounds good," Chanyeol says, getting to his feet. He makes sure to tuck the drawing into his jacket pocket before following Jongin to the door.

It's a short walk from the apartment building to the park, but Rahee half-drags Jongin by the hand the whole way. Chanyeol follows a step behind them, keeping his endeared smile to himself. The park itself is pretty big for being on a city block, with a slide and monkey bars on one side of the path running through between the trees. Rahee barely glances at either, though, when she spies a dog sitting by a bench with it's owner.

Jongin makes a valiant effort to keep her from bounding right over. Chanyeol can't help snickering, thinking of all the times he's watched Jongin do exactly that in the presence of other dogs.

"She might not like being pet," Jongin is explaining when Chanyeol catches up to them. "We have to ask her owner if it's okay first."

Rahee nods a little glumly, but brightens up again when the owner nods and beckons the dog over.

"Hold your hand out so she can sniff you," Jongin says, crouching beside Rahee to show her. The dog trots right up to them and snuffles against Rahee's hand before giving her fingers a lick. Rahee giggles and pats the dog's nose.

Jongin stands up with a smile, glancing at Chanyeol when he comes to stand next to him. "I bet this is why she wanted to go to the park in the first place."

"Probably," Chanyeol laughs, watching her rub the dog's ears, then shifts his gaze to Jongin's fond smile. "She reminds me of you."

Jongin turns to him, looking surprised. "Really? Why?"

"You know, you're both…" He trails off, caught up in the slow smile curving across Jongin's mouth, the flush of his cheeks. _Cute,_ his mind supplies. "Dog people," he says instead, and wonders why he suddenly has to catch his breath.

They stay in the park a while longer, mostly to pet the dog but also to go down the slide a few times, and by the time they head home the sun has already started to set. Rahee seems pretty tuckered out, so Jongin sets her up on the couch with a blanket and Sesame Street before joining Chanyeol at the kitchen table.

"I could really go for that right now," Chanyeol sighs, watching Rahee nod off in front of the TV.

Jongin shrugs. "You can go watch too, if you want. This is a no-judgement household."

"I meant a nap," Chanyeol laughs. "I know we haven't been awake that long, but if you gave _me_ a blanket, I wouldn't say no."

"You know we're here all night, right?" Jongin asks, smiling wryly. "If walking to the park and back tires you out, we might have a problem."

Chanyeol waves him off playfully. "I'm just saying, babysitting is more tiring than I thought."

"It's definitely more work than my actual job," Jongin admits.

"I can't believe Jongdae and Junmyeon do this all day, _every_ day," Chanyeol sighs, leaning back in his chair. "I feel like I should call my mom and apologize. I was definitely more of a handful than Rahee is."

Jongin snickers, standing up from the table. "You can tell her about your newfound appreciation for parents after dinner, okay? For now I need your help finding something healthy to make."

Luckily, the kitchen is stocked with more than just takeout leftovers like Chanyeol's own fridge. Half an hour later, he finds himself steaming vegetables of his own free will while Jongin pulls sizzling chicken strips out of the oven.

Rahee wanders in while they're setting the table, rubbing her eyes. "You cooked?"

"We sure did," Jongin says, helping her into a chair. "It's not fancy like your dads can make, but it's tasty."

She looks a little skeptical of the bite-sized pieces of chicken strip and vegetables on the plate Chanyeol places in front of her, but seems happy enough to spear them with her tiny fork.

"Good?" Jongin prompts, after she's chewed and swallowed, and both he and Chanyeol breathe a sigh of relief when she nods contentedly.

They get through dinner with only minimal bargaining needed to get Rahee to eat her carrots, and afterwards she's happy enough to skip back to the living room while Jongin fills the sink with soapy water.

"If you wash, I'll dry," Chanyeol suggests, bringing their stack of plates over.

Jongin rolls his sleeves up with a grimace. "Sometimes I wonder why we order takeout all the time instead of cooking something ourselves, but then I remember that cooking also means washing all the dishes at the end."

"It's not that bad," Chanyeol laughs, taking the dish towel Jongin hands to him. "Sure, disposable containers take way less time to clean up, but usually takeout can't compare to a home-cooked meal."

"I don't think defrosted chicken strips count as 'home-cooked'," Jongin says dryly.

"Fair point," Chanyeol admits. "But next time you come over, I'm making you dinner. There's this pasta recipe of my mom's--"

"You'd do that?"

Chanyeol pauses. "Do what?"

He's a bit flushed, Chanyeol notices, probably from the steaming water in the sink or something - but that thought flies out of his head when Jongin smiles softly at him. "You'd cook for me?"

"Of course," Chanyeol says automatically. Jongin's smile gets a little wider, his cheeks a little pinker. "And I'll wash the dishes, too."

Jongin opens his mouth to say something else, but Rahee appears between them suddenly, popping up on tiptoe to try and peek over the counter. She doesn't quite manage. "Done yet?"

"Almost," Jongin says, sighing it out as he looks back at the water. "Why, are you getting bored waiting for us?"

"Yes," Rahee agrees, stretching the word out into a whine. She tugs on the hem of Jongin's shirt. "Let's play house!"

Jongin laughs, quickly drying his hands so he can bend down to her level. "We'll only be a few more minutes. You can be patient, right?"

"I can finish up here," Chanyeol offers, swinging the dish towel over his shoulder and pushing up his sleeves. He waves Jongin off before he can protest. "My talents are wasted as a drier, anyway. You guys go, I'll join you in a bit."

With a grateful grin, Jongin turns and chases Rahee out of the kitchen, both of them giggling the whole way. Chanyeol smiles to himself as he turns back to the sink and plunges his hands into the warm water.

As much work as it is to look after a toddler, it isn't so bad with Jongin on his side. They make quite a team, cooking dinner, teaching dog safety, washing dishes… It's nothing Chanyeol couldn't do on his own, but it seems better with Jongin. Like it _means_ more, whether that's because of Rahee, or… something else.

Rahee is who he's supposed to be focused on though, so he shakes himself out of his thoughts and finishes washing the last few plates before his fingers can get wrinkled. With everything rinsed and placed on the drying rack, he drains the sink, dries his hands, and finally heads out to join the other two in the living room.

Rahee _shrieks_ when he turns the corner, and Chanyeol freezes for a terrified second before he catches sight of Jongin struggling to stifle laughter. "It's the _dragon_!" Rahee cries, pointing at him accusingly.

"I thought you were playing house," Chanyeol says, but drops to his knees and gives his best dragon growl anyway.

"We _were_ having a tea party, but the princess got bored and wanted to catch a dragon instead," Jongin explains, as Rahee brandishes a butterfly net. "Apparently Jongdae and Junmyeon play this with her all the time. I'm her sidekick knight."

"Charge!" Rahee yells, whapping Chanyeol with the net. "Caught you!"

"Not if I catch you first," Chanyeol says, ducking under her next swing and lifting her up in his arms. She shrieks again but laughs right after when Chanyeol spins her around and drops her on the couch. "You're trapped in my tower now," he says triumphantly, but Rahee doesn't look bothered.

"The knights will save me," she sniffs, and sure enough, Jongin takes the opportunity to push Chanyeol over while he's distracted.

"Have at you, foul beast," he declares, grinning down at him with his hands on his hips.

Rahee gasps dramatically. "The dragon fell out the tower window!"

Chanyeol wheezes out a dramatic breath, reaching for the ceiling with a shaky hand. "Oh, I am slain!"

After giving him a worried glance, Rahee gasps again. "He landed on a pillow, so he's okay."

"Oh, good," Chanyeol says, folding his hands behind his head.

"You're safe now," Jongin says, bowing to Rahee with a flourish while she cheers.

"Now it's time for the wedding," she announces, clapping her hands.

Jongin grins up at her. "Ah, the knight marries the princess?"

Rahee makes a face. "No, that's not how it goes when Dada plays it."

"But he saved you from the dragon," Chanyeol points out, sitting up on his elbows. "Doesn't that kind of thing bring people together?"

"That's not how it goes," Rahee repeats, crossing her arms with a huff.

"How does it go, then?" Jongin asks gently. "Why is there a wedding?"

Rahee turns to him with a frown. "Dada always says the knight and the dragon fall in love at the end."

"Of course he does," Chanyeol gripes. Jongin kneels down beside him with a sigh. "Junmyeon and Jongdae are so gross."

Jongin stifles a laugh. "Well, we're in love now," he announces, taking Chanyeol's hands in his own.

"Something about the way you shoved me out a window really got me," Chanyeol says, batting his eyelashes. "Total turn-on."

Jongin smacks him in the arm, but Rahee doesn't seem to notice. "You can kiss now," she demands, waving her net over them.

Chanyeol shrugs resignedly at Jongin, who sends a what-can-you-do shrug back at him. Honestly, Chanyeol isn't sure what he expected after growing up with Junmyeon and Jongdae as teens - but all thoughts of how grossly in love the pair are get chased out of his head when Jongin leans in. He hovers close for a second, just long enough for Chanyeol to start thinking about what it would be like to kiss him for real-- then pulls back with an exaggerated _mwah!_ Chanyeol jerkily does the same, a hot flush working its way up his neck.

Is he really blushing just from that? Why is his heart beating so fast? He tries his best to will himself calm, tuning out until Jongin looks at him again.

"Right?" Jongin prompts, smiling at him in a way that doesn't help Chanyeol's heart rate.

"Uh--" He glances between Jongin and Rahee, completely lost. "Sorry, what?"

"Baths," Jongin says seriously.

" _No_ baths," Rahee counters, pouting.

Jongin frowns at her. "We need your opinion on bathtime," he explains, turning back to Chanyeol. "I told her you love baths, isn't that right?" He raises his eyebrows meaningfully, but it takes a good few seconds of staring at him for Chanyeol to catch on.

"Oh, yeah, totally," he agrees hastily. "Baths are great. Bubbles, cleanliness, all that."

Rahee looks a little suspicious of them both but ultimately agrees to take a bath, and Jongin looks ready to weep from relief. He follows Rahee to the bathroom, but not before whispering a _thank you_ in Chanyeol's ear - and that's all it takes to set his heart off again, so loud he's relieved when the sound of water running in the tub drowns it out.

Chanyeol spends the rest of bathtime cleaning up the living room and trying to will the blush off his face, until he finally gives up and turns Sesame Street back on to take his mind off it. When Rahee is clean and dry and finally ready for bed, Jongin calls Chanyeol up from the couch, beckoning him down the hall. Chanyeol follows him into Rahee's bedroom, confused.

"She asked for you," Jongin explains with a little smile. Rahee is sitting up in bed, surrounded by stuffed animals, pouting with her arms crossed.

"What's wrong?" Chanyeol asks.

"Nini didn't do voices," Rahee complains, brandishing a picture book.

"I did too," Jongin says with a pout of his own. "She has very high bedtime story standards."

Rahee ignores him and holds the book out to Chanyeol. "Can you do voices?"

Chanyeol takes it and sits gingerly on the edge of her bed. "I can try."

"This is the last story," Jongin tells Rahee, taking a seat on the carpet beside the bed. "Then it's bedtime, okay?"

Nodding, Rahee grabs her closest stuffed bear and settles back against her pillows, looking expectantly at Chanyeol. With an encouraging look from Jongin, Chanyeol clears his throat, flips to the first page, and starts to read.

Four stories later, Rahee is finally sleepy enough to not demand another, yawning under the covers while Jongin puts the books back on their shelf.

"The end," Chanyeol sighs, stretching as he stands up. "For real, this time."

Rahee grins at him and closes her eyes. "Na'night."

Jongin shakes his head fondly as he turns on the night light beside her bed and leads Chanyeol out of the room. "Goodnight."

He closes the door quietly before yawning himself. "That went better than expected. My average is five stories before she agrees to sleep."

"I think my voice would've given out if we did one more," Chanyeol laughs, rubbing his throat.

Jongin looks a little concerned. "I could've taken over for you. You want tea, or something?"

"No, more than anything I'm just tired," Chanyeol admits. "Where are we sleeping?"

"I'll show you," Jongin says, and leads him across the hall to another bedroom. It's neat and tidy but clearly lived-in, with a large double bed against the wall. "Jongdae always lets me use their room. It's usually messier than this, though. I guess he got Junmyeon to clean up a little."

Chanyeol looks around while Jongin shuts the curtains across the room. It's a little weird to be right in the middle of Junmyeon and Jongdae's personal space while neither of them are around.

“Is it too weird to use their bed?” Chanyeol asks, glancing warily at the thick quilt spread over it.

“I’m not sure,” Jongin admits, following his gaze. “What do you think?” They both stand in the middle of the room, staring at the bed as they consider it.

“They’ve had sex there,” Chanyeol whispers. 

"Living room couch it is," Jongin says with a grimace.

They find spare blankets in a hall closet and set themselves up on the couch in the dim light, Jongin curling up with his head on the armrest and Chanyeol on the opposite end, trying not to take up too much of Jongin's space with his legs.

"I can take the floor, if you want," Chanyeol offers, but Jongin shakes his head, and Chanyeol has to admit he's managed to look pretty comfortable with his blanket pulled up around his ears.

Settling in with a sigh, Jongin closes his eyes and tucks his bare feet under Chanyeol's calf. "See you tomorrow."

"'Night," Chanyeol says around a yawn, and leans back into the cushions. It's pretty much the same pose he slept in the night before, just on a different couch, and with Jongin a little closer. Something about that thought makes him feel warm even under his thin blanket, and falling asleep on the cramped couch suddenly doesn't seem so hard.

\---

He's not sure what wakes him up at first, only dimly aware of stretching out into a more comfortable position before his half-asleep brain realizes that Jongin isn't at the other end of the couch anymore. Chanyeol opens his eyes to squint through the dark, and sure enough, Jongin and his blanket are both nowhere to be found. There's a soft light coming from down the hall though, and when his eyes finally adjust, Chanyeol gets up quietly to investigate.

Rahee's bedroom door is open, the glow from her night light spilling out into the hall. Chanyeol peeks around the doorway and finds Jongin there, sitting on Rahee's bed with his blanket around his shoulders, leaning over the toddler-shaped lump under the covers.

Chanyeol's stomach sinks. Had Rahee gotten sick, or something? He knocks gently on the doorframe before stepping inside. "Is everything okay?"

Jongin looks up, pausing where he's stroking Rahee's hair. As he gets closer, Chanyeol can see her face is red and splotchy from tears. She gives a heart-wrenching sniffle and Chanyeol feels his stomach drop even lower. "What's wrong?" he asks softly.

Rahee turns over, hiccuping into her pillows. Jongin rubs her back and gives Chanyeol a sad look. "She misses her dads."

Chanyeol's heart breaks a little. "You'll see them tomorrow though, right?" he tries, kneeling beside the bed, but Rahee just sniffles again.

Jongin looks about as helpless as Chanyeol feels. "She's been crying for a while. I'd rather calm her down and put her back to bed than let her exhaust herself, but…" He shakes his head with a tired sigh. "I was about to go put the TV on for her. It's all I can think of."

"How's that sound?" Chanyeol asks, turning to Rahee again. "You wanna watch TV with us?"

"No," Rahee whines, kicking her feet under the blankets.

"What can we do instead?" Jongin asks, stroking her hair again. "We just want you to feel better, honey. What do you want?"

Rahee hiccups quietly for a second, looking even more miserable. "Appa and Dada," she wails, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

Jongin hushes her gently and pulls back the covers to help her into his lap, rocking her a little while she cries against his shirt. He gives Chanyeol another sad look. "I'll stay up with her, if you want to head back to bed."

Chanyeol shakes his head adamantly. "No way. Either we all sleep, or no one sleeps."

That gets a tiny smile out of Jongin, at least. "I just feel bad leaving her alone," he sighs.

"Yeah, the couch isn't really big enough for three of us," Chanyeol agrees, then lights up with an idea. "But I know what might be."

He stands up and lifts Rahee out of Jongin's lap, letting her press her wet face against his neck while he carries her across the hall. Jongin follows, looking confused until Chanyeol nudges open the door to Jongdae and Junmyeon's room.

"You think this'll work?" he asks, closing the door behind them.

"It's worth a shot," Chanyeol says, letting Rahee down on her parents' bed. He and Jongin pull back the covers and set her right in the middle with pillows piled up behind her.

She still sniffles a bit as she settles in, but being surrounded by her dads' things does seem to calm her down. She rubs the last of her tears out of her eyes and looks up at Jongin with a frown. "How long until tomorrow?"

"Well, right now it's very, very early," Jongin says, climbing onto the bed to lie beside her, "so tomorrow is today already."

Rahee looks a little too tired to put all that together, and turns to Chanyeol instead. "How long 'til Appa n' Dada come home?"

"Just a few hours, probably," Chanyeol tells her, spreading out on the other side of the bed. "And when you wake up, it'll be even sooner."

"Okay," Rahee says with one last sniffle, then shuffles down under the covers and closes her eyes. It doesn't take long for her to pass out - Chanyeol knows that crying is exhausting, but he's still amazed at how fast her breathing evens out into quiet snores.

He watches her sleeping face for a while before Jongin breaks the silence with a sigh of relief. "You're a genius."

"It wasn't all me," Chanyeol says, grinning at him over Rahee's head. "You did most of the work before I even woke up."

"If Jongdae asks how it went, I'm giving you all the credit," Jongin says, then yawns so wide it makes Chanyeol yawn too. "You're okay with sleeping here?"

"Yeah, their bed isn't so bad," Chanyeol says, shuffling around to get comfortable.

Jongin slips the blanket off his shoulders and spreads it over their legs, then curls up with a sleepy sigh. He and Chanyeol have ended up on either side of Rahee, both curved towards her like halves of a protective shell - it's probably a bit much, but at least she won't fall out of bed. From his position, Chanyeol can just see Jongin's bangs falling across his closed eyes, and the very corner of his parted lips.

"You're good at this, you know," Jongin mumbles.

"At babysitting?" Chanyeol snickers. "You're the one with all the experience. I'm just following your lead."

Jongin squints at him. "I didn't think to bring Rahee in here. You did."

Looking down, Chanyeol shrugs one shoulder. "Well--"

"It's not just this," Jongin says over him. "You read her all those books earlier, you played dragon with us, you agreed to do this with me in the first place…"

"You say it like I didn't want to do any of that," Chanyeol mumbles. "With you, I'm up for pretty much anything."

Jongin's lips slowly curve into a sleepy smile. "Anything, huh?"

Chanyeol feels his face heating up, but he's too tired to be anything but honest. "I mean it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jongin says, then curls up a little more with a contented sigh. "Same for me, though."

A warm spark of something flares up in Chanyeol's chest. "Yeah?"

"Mhm," Jongin murmurs, right on the edge of sleep. "Anything."

It's quiet after that, Chanyeol left alone with his bedmates' soft breaths and his heartbeat so loud in his ears that he's sure it'll keep him awake. Sleep pulls at him anyway though, Jongin's drowsy words spreading warmth through his body and leaving him buzzing pleasantly. With one last look at both Jongin's and Rahee's sleeping faces, he lets his tired eyes close and is pulled under within seconds.

\---

Chanyeol wakes up to a very tiny hand on his cheek, with very tiny fingers poking his face.

“Breakfast time?” Rahee asks, her expression serious.

Chanyeol glances at the clock and holds back a groan. “It could be, in another timezone.”

Rahee ignores that. “Appa always makes pancakes on Sunday.”

“Does he?” Chanyeol asks, sitting up to rub his eyes. Of course he does, of course Junmyeon is so grossly ideal that he starts homemade breakfast traditions with his kid. Jesus christ.

He gets out of bed carefully as to not wake Jongin, who's still fast asleep on the other side. He probably got even less sleep than Chanyeol did, so he deserves the lie-in. Chanyeol spreads his half of the blanket over him before following Rahee down the hall.

She clambers into a seat at the kitchen table while Chanyeol stares down the stove, trying to remember how many years ago his eighth-grade home economics class was. "Does your dad keep a box of pancake mix around here somewhere?"

Rahee shakes her head. "Dada says box pancakes are gross. Appa makes it in a big bowl."

Chanyeol rubs his eyes again, muttering to himself. "Of course he does. Pancakes from scratch, christ. Okay," he announces, sitting down beside Rahee and taking out his phone. "You know what Google is, right?"

"Duh," Rahee says, sitting up to see the screen.

One _easy pancake recipe_ search and a few flour spills later, Rahee is happily munching through her second syrup-drenched pancake, giggling when Chanyeol manages to flip the one in his frying pan. Jongin wanders in as he's pouring more batter, bending down to kiss Rahee's hair before shuffling over to stand next to Chanyeol at the stove.

"Morning," he mumbles, half a yawn.

"Hey," Chanyeol greets, bumping their hips together while he prods the batter with his spatula. "We made pancakes."

"I see that," Jongin says, leaning into him while he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. Chanyeol puts an arm around him almost automatically. He worries for a second that Jongin will push him off, but Jongin hums and drops his cheek onto Chanyeol's shoulder instead, and when he smiles, Chanyeol isn't sure why he was ever worried at all.

It feels so different from how they usually are together - but then again, it doesn't feel like much has changed between them. Chanyeol can imagine doing this regularly, cooking breakfast with Jongin beside him, holding him while he wakes up, leaning in to kiss the sleepy smile off his face - maybe not that last one just yet, but it is really tempting when Jongin looks up at him--

"All done," Rahee announces, pushing her plate away with a scrape that startles them apart. Chanyeol notices belatedly that the pancake he's cooking is about to burn, and hurriedly flips it over while Jongin moves away to put Rahee's dishes in the sink.

"That was close," Chanyeol sighs, poking at the browned edges before sliding the pancake onto a plate. He pushes it towards Jongin along with a fork. "You can have this one if you're hungry."

Jongin picks it up and leans back against the counter with a smile. "Are they any good?" he asks Rahee, who nods enthusiastically. "Really? As good as your dad's?"

Rahee thinks about it, then shakes her head. "Almost as good," she tells Chanyeol, giving him a thumbs-up.

"High praise," Jongin laughs, dousing his plate in syrup.

"We tried our best," Chanyeol says, winking at Rahee before turning back to switch the stove off.

"That's all the batter?" Jongin asks. "Did you make some for yourself?"

Chanyeol shakes his head. "Rahee and I shared the first one, though. To taste-test."

Jongin rolls his eyes at him. "That's not enough breakfast. Here." He holds out a bite-sized piece on his fork, hovering it near Chanyeol's mouth. Chanyeol hesitates, but Jongin seems serious about it, and he _is_ still hungry. He leans in to take it, sliding it cleanly off the fork with his teeth, and finds the syrup tastes even sweeter with Jongin grinning at him.

Once all the breakfast dishes are put away, the three of them sit in the living room, Chanyeol and Jongin on the couch and Rahee on the floor with paper and crayons.

"I thought she'd be hyped up after all that sugary syrup," Jongin says quietly, watching her colour in shapes.

"Maybe with the weird sleep we all got last night, it kind of evened her out?" Chanyeol suggests.

Jongin hums. "Maybe. Oh, hey--" He turns to face Chanyeol on the couch. "Speaking of last night."

Chanyeol's palms suddenly feel sweaty. "Uh. Yeah?"

"I don't want you to think I was too tired to know what I was saying," Jongin starts, hesitantly. "I meant what I said."

"Which part?" Chanyeol asks, but Jongin looks confused. "The 'you're good at babysitting' part, or the, uh, 'anything' part?"

"Oh." Jongin flushes. "Both, I guess."

Chanyeol stares at him. "You _guess_?"

"I wasn't sure how much I actually said to you before I fell asleep!" Jongin admits. "I know I was thinking it, but--"

"Are you fighting?" Rahee asks, narrowing her eyes at them from the floor.

"No," they both say together. Rahee looks unconvinced.

"We're sorting out a misunderstanding," Jongin says, then looks back at Chanyeol. "Or making sure it _wasn't_ a misunderstanding?"

"Yes, that," Chanyeol agrees, nodding. "I mean, I think I understood."

"Well, you're the one who said 'anything' first," Jongin points out, "so it really depends on you, I guess?"

Chanyeol turns to Rahee with a tight smile. "We're trying to figure out if we're on the same page."

"And we are," Jongin adds. "At least, I'm pretty sure."

Rahee shrugs and goes back to her drawing. "You guys are weird."

There's a moment of quiet, then Chanyeol and Jongin glance at each other and try their best to stifle laughter. "Not the worst thing a three-year-old has even said to me," Jongin admits with a snicker. He looks up at Chanyeol again. "Are we good?"

"Yeah," Chanyeol says, then pauses. They really could just leave it at that, a sleepily heartfelt conversation where both of them were too tired to think about what they were saying - a nighttime confession made less serious in daylight. It's an easy out, but Chanyeol isn't sure if he wants to take it.

"Jongin," he says, quiet, and Jongin turns towards him again. "When I said I'd be up for anything, I meant--"

The sound of the front door opening distracts him from getting the rest of the words out.

"We're home," Jongdae's voice chimes, and Rahee is on her feet and sprinting out of the room before Chanyeol and Jongin can get halfway off the couch.

They hurry after her into the kitchen where she's attached herself to Junmyeon's legs.

"There she is," Junmyeon laughs, and bends down to pick her up.

"We missed you," Jongdae says, kissing her cheek. "Did you have fun?"

Rahee nods hard, smiling widely. "We made pancakes!"

"You did?" Junmyeon gasps. "What else did you get up to?"

He carries her out and down the hall as she babbles through a recap of the previous day. Jongdae shrugs his jacket off and turns to Jongin with a smile. "So, you guys survived?"

"Sure did," Jongin says with a grin. "We had a little trouble getting her to sleep last night, but it all worked out fine."

Jongdae gives a satisfied nod. "Good to hear. Honestly, you did us such a huge favour--"

"It's no problem," Chanyeol says quickly. "She's an angel, seriously."

Jongdae gives him a surprised look, but it melts into a grateful smile. "I'm glad you had fun with her. And thanks, again."

"Is there anything else you need before we go?" Jongin asks, but Jongdae waves him off.

"Nothing's on fire, and that's good enough for me," he says, then turns to call down the hallway. "Rahee, come say goodbye!"

There's a thud and some pitter-pattering, then Rahee appears again and runs over to them. Jongin bends down to give her a hug and Chanyeol does the same, letting Rahee jump halfway into his arms and squeeze as tight as she can.

"You still have my picture, right?" she asks.

"The dog one? Of course," Chanyeol says, taking it out of his pocket to show her. "I'm keeping it forever, obviously."

"Good," Rahee says with a grin, and hugs him again.

She waves goodbye at the door while Jongdae pulls Jongin into a hug of his own and makes him promise to call. For a second Chanyeol feels like he might tear up, but then Jongin takes his hand to lead him away to the elevator to escape Jongdae's nagging, and the feeling is replaced by giddiness just as quick.

They're both quiet all the way from the elevator to the lobby, and it's only once they're sitting in Chanyeol's car again that one of them breaks the silence.

"So," Jongin says. "How do you feel about babysitting now?"

"It's alright," Chanyeol says with a shrug. He takes out Rahee's drawing again and tucks it under the sun visor.

Jongin watches him with a smile. "Just alright?"

"I wouldn't mind doing it again," Chanyeol admits, trying to be nonchalant, but he knows by Jongin's grin that he's failing. "I mean, if it's okay with you. And also with Rahee's parents."

"I'm sure they won't mind having someone else to help out," Jongin hums, nudging him. "And like I said, you're good at it."

"You're not so bad yourself," Chanyeol says, nudging him right back. "Now cut that out, I gotta drive."

"Hold on," Jongin says, putting his hand over Chanyeol's on the gear shift. When Chanyeol looks over at him, he's biting his lip nervously. "Earlier, you started to say something."

"Oh." Chanyeol watches him warily. "Right."

"Was it something about last night?" Jongin asks quietly. "Because if there really was a misunderstanding--"

"No, everything's fine," Chanyeol assures him. "I meant what I said then."

Jongin looks relieved. "So what is it?"

Chanyeol takes a deep breath and sits up a little straighter. "What I wanted to say was… last night, when I said I was up for anything..." He clears his throat and moves the hand Jongin is still holding, turning his palm so their fingers slide together. "I meant, if you wanted to try something… _different_ , then I'd be okay with that."

Frowning, Jongin looks down at their joined hands. "Different how?"

"Different… between us."

"Oh." Chanyeol watches him swallow hard. "Like what?"

"Anything you would want," Chanyeol says quietly.

Jongin huffs a little. "Well, I said the same thing as you last night, and I meant it, too." He squeezes Chanyeol's fingers a little. "What do _you_ want to try?"

It's his last chance to take the easy way out, but Chanyeol doesn't even consider it. "I want to kiss you."

"Okay," Jongin breathes.

Chanyeol hesitates, waiting for him to say something else, but he just stares right back at him. "You're sure?"

Jongin squeezes his fingers again. "With you, I'm up for anything."

The echo makes Chanyeol grin without thinking, and when he leans over, Jongin meets him halfway. Their lips connect soft and slow but fit together in an easy slide that takes Chanyeol's breath. He almost pulls back but rethinks it and leans in a little further, reveling in the feeling of Jongin sighing into the kiss, relaxing against him. He tastes sweet like syrup and Chanyeol has to hold himself back from chasing it with his tongue before they break apart.

"Good?" he asks, watching Jongin catch his breath. His cheeks are flushed, and Chanyeol is sure his own look about the same.

"Better than good," Jongin says, licking his lips and snickering when Chanyeol's eyes flick down to his mouth. "Can we… again?"

Chanyeol is leaning back in before he even finishes asking, and when he pulls back Jongin's face is even redder. "You know, we won't have to ask every time if you're my--" He pauses, thinking about it. "Boyfriend? Partner?"

"We can figure out what to call it later," Jongin says, still panting a little. "For now, I need you to drive home so we can do that again."

Chanyeol grins at him and starts the car. "I have homework, though."

"That better be a joke."

"It's not," Chanyeol laughs. "You want me to graduate, don't you?"

Jongin pouts. "You want to kiss me again, don't you?"

Chanyeol feels himself blush again, and turns away to back out of the parking lot. "That's unfair."

Laughing, Jongin leans back in his seat triumphantly. "I like this already," he says with a grin, but he lets the smile be wiped off his face when Chanyeol presses in for another kiss.


End file.
